Twilight Sparkle understands the value of friendship and love. She has experienced a lifetime of emotion. And she knows that whenever she falls, Rainbow Dash will be there to pick her up.
Throughout her life, Twilight Sparkle has learned many things.
Love and friendship are two sides of a coin.
Being alone can be the worst feeling ever.
And whenever she falls, Rainbow Dash will be there to pick her up.
Twilight starts at Rarity's voice being right in her ear. "Wh-what?"
"Rainbow Dash, of course." Rarity gives Twilight a small, unreadable smile and preens at some imaginary flaw in her mane. "You're pretty much the only one among our circle who hasn't noticed. Well, aside from Pinkie Pie."
"I've noticed!" Twilight tries to hide her blushing by adjusting the telescope's aperture for the fifth time in as many minutes. "She's been... hanging around a lot recently. A-and, the other day she told me how nice my wings looked, I mean completely out of the blue."
"And how do you feel about her, I wonder?"
Twilight keeps her focus on the telescope, though she has ceased to fiddle with it. "I... I'm not sure. I haven't thought about it too much, I guess."
Rarity, eyes sparkling, all but quivering, leans in and whispers in Twilight's ear again. "Well, I can't think of a better time to initiate some romance, darling. I'll make sure the girls give you two a little space."
After a moment with no answer forthcoming, Rarity wanders off, giggling to herself.
Twilight harrumphs and turns, placing her eye to her telescope, the sunset a backdrop to her endless calibrations. The Spring Moon, from what Princess Celestia has told her, will be nothing short of spectacular. Princess Luna wishes to reinaugurate the ritual by making the first Spring Moon in a thousand years a real event to remember. Twilight hasn't found any more detailed information about it, though, just some ancient third-party information, which was off-hoof enough to be less than useful. Celestia has kept mum about what she should expect.
"Hey, Twilight."
"Aaah!"
Twilight trips, falling back, and Rainbow surges forward, catching both her and the upset telescope.
"Whoa, careful!" Rainbow laughs. "Sorry I scared you."
"Nope!" Twilight says, sitting up straight, eyes wide. "Totally not scared! Ha ha."
Rainbow rolls her eyes and snorts. "Sun's almost down, Twilight, and everypony's ready."
"Picnic blanket and everything?" Twilight smiles.
"Yeah." Rainbow turns and takes a few steps before pausing. "Y'know, you don't really need a telescope to see the moon..."
Twilight laughs softly. "The Spring Moon display is going to involve more than just the moon, Rainbow. At least, that's what I've been led to believe." She frowns, her ears folding back. "Princess Celestia wasn't generous with details." Her ears spring forward and she continues. "But, should there be any stellar shenanigans, extraterrestrial escapades or interplanetary incidents tonight, I will most definitely be prepared to view them."
Rainbow flashes a smile. "Cool, I guess. Now, c'mon, the food's getting, uh... not eaten!"
Twilight looks back to her telescope, feeling something tug at her, but she rises and takes a step, and the tugging snaps. She finds a spread of sandwiches and salads, with her friends all around, laughing at some story Fluttershy is telling. The conversation is easy to pick up on because she understands these ponies. Whether it's Applejack talking about yields in the south orchard or Pinkie Pie stuffing macaroni in her ears, everything is familiar and welcome. She slides through the talk, a greased gear.
The one catch in these cogs of camaraderie is the look Rainbow Dash keeps giving her. It's coy, fleeting, a ripple on water. It's forward, yet fraught with a nervousness hardly fitting Dash.
Twilight doesn't notice it at first, but soon it's all she sees. Rarity is relaying the latest piece of gossip out of Manehattan, but Rainbow Dash is silently asking her something. Twilight shrugs, motioning to her ear. Rainbow Dash mimes looking through a telescope, and points at Twilight. After a moment's thought, Twilight shrugs, this time in acceptance.
If anypony else notices, they don't show it.
As the light fades, the food is eaten. As darkness descends, they scramble up the hill to the best viewing spots around the tree. Pinkie Pie, the official timekeeper, has been given a watch by Princess Luna herself, so they'll know the exact moment the moon is scheduled to rise.
Waiting for the moon: it's a tension warring inside Twilight with wondering what Dash might do. Thoughts leap through her mind, sparks from a fire. Rainbow has been herself all evening. Is Twilight just being silly? Did Rarity wind her up for nothing?
The moon, bright and full, makes its appearance, lighting the darkened sky, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash are the only ones near the telescope. Rainbow sits beside her, having spoken not a word since they reached the spot, her wings jittering now and again. As the moon climbs, its pale grey surface waxes a soft green. Ponyville Park is suffused with oohing and ahhing. Rainbow doesn't join them.
"Not that it isn't neat, but..." She scratches the back of her head. "I thought this was supposed to be something special."
Twilight doesn't have to say anything. Green sparkles shimmer in the sky, and the moon's coloring deepens to the lushest forest's foliage. Twilight places her eye against the telescope and gasps.
"I've never seen anything like it! I have no idea what Princess Luna is doing, but... Look, Rainbow, it's amazing!"
She can barely tear herself away to give her friend a turn, but she does. At Rainbow's "Wo-o-o-ow", she shivers in excitement.
"Isn't it amazing?"
Rainbow Dash looks at her, a smile on her face. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."
Twilight shivers again, and Rainbow places a wing over her. She's still smiling. Twilight is no longer concerned with the moon, but with her pounding heart. This moment weighs sacred around her. Something snaps into place, tugging her toward Rainbow. She ignores the sudden dizziness and gives in to the urge.
"I've never been so disappointed in you, Twilight Sparkle."
The temperature in the throne room seemed to climb with Celestia's ire.
"In fact, I cannot remember ever being disappointed in you. I cannot even recall having reason to feel anything remotely akin to disappointment regarding you."
Celestia's hoofsteps echoed off the ceiling, her horseshoes ringing sharply back and forth as she paced the room. Each beat made Twilight flinch as though a nail were being driven through her hoof. In her peripheral vision, Rainbow Dash's wings twitched.
"Princess, please don't be mad at Twilight." Rainbow took a step forward. "I sent the letter without thinking she'd be able to find me. It's my fault, and you should blame me."
Celestia's eyes flashed solar flares. "You and I shall have a discussion of our own later, Rainbow Dash."
The gaze of her mentor upon Twilight was a lead blanket. Despite having a position equal to Celestia's, as she had been assured on more than one occasion, Twilight hung her head.
"Why didn't you tell me, Princess?"
"You could have been seriously injured, Twilight, or killed." The rage in Celestia's voice was tempered by the vibrato of worry. "The task I set Rainbow Dash was meant for reconnaissance only." Celestia stopped, closed her eyes, and drew in a deep breath. "Too many times, I've asked you and your friends to run headlong into danger without any idea of what you were up against. With the Lord of Storms a slow-burning threat, I saw the opportunity for more planning than usual."
Twilight met Celestia's gaze, a confusing mixture of firm and pleading.
"Twilight," she said, "I knew if I asked you directly to perform this mission, you would have gotten all of your friends involved. So I approached Rainbow Dash, alone, because I knew, if things went poorly, she would be able to handle whatever Tlaloc threw at her and escape unharmed."
Cold terror lodged in Twilight's throat. Her breath came in short gasps. "If things went..."
"I had the utmost confidence in Rainbow's ability to--"
"But you still shouldn't be yelling at her!" Rainbow flew up to look Celestia in the eye. The terror in Twilight's chest mixed with shock. "I made the bad call because I wasn't thinking. I should have expected her to come help me."
Rainbow shot Twilight a glance she didn't have time to process.
"But the fact is," Rainbow continued, less forcefully, "we found out what needed to be found out and old Stormy Shorts got in our way, so we took him out! Now you don't need to worry about him, so what's the big deal?"
"It was at great risk to both you and Twilight." Celestia leaned so far forward, she could have bit Rainbow's nose if she'd wished.
"Which wasn't any risk at all." Rainbow backed off, brushing her hooves together. "I mean really, Princess, you've known us how long? Do you even have any idea who you're talking to? I'd never let anything happen to Twilight, not while she's with me, because I l--"
The word caught in Rainbow's mouth, coming out as a stream of gagging. She turned bright red. Twilight took a step towards her, and Celestia, a step away. The Sun Princess's eyes went wide.
"I love her too much," Rainbow finished, her voice barely scraping the walls.
"You mean... the two of you..."
"Yes, Princess," Twilight said, her voice a tiny creak in a stone door.
Rainbow, forehooves crossed over her chest, smirked. "And you can count on us never leaving each other's' sides, forever."
Something swelled inside Twilight, chasing away the fear and shame, and she smiled.
Celestia sat down, hard, on the marble floor, her shocked expression giving way to a relieved smile. "Oh, my little ponies... Twilight, Rainbow, I am very happy for you both. If only I had..." She looked directly Twilight, her gaze intense but drained of the previous fury. "Can you forgive me?"
Twilight looked to Rainbow, who landed and smiled.
Twilight's voice was whipped away by the furious winds.
"Everything should have worked!"
Thunder crashed in her ears as her wings pumped desperately against the maelstrom.
"Okay, well, at least it shouldn't have gone this wrong!"
Her words were swallowed by the howling storm. The grey clouds churned all around her, blocking any sense of up, down, near, far. The rain pelting her from every angle distracted her from her magic. All four of her legs kicked as her wings flapped and flapped, but the storm won out. Twilight was pulled, kicking and screaming, into its hungry, black center.
A hoof reached out and caught hers.
Heart in her throat, Twilight snapped her eyes open and saw the familiar, beautiful blue face, teeth gritted, looking up at her. Rainbow mouthed something she couldn't hear and turned, struggling against the storm every bit as much as Twilight.
But Rainbow Dash's athleticism was precisely the edge they needed. Twilight kept flapping as, little by little, Rainbow pulled them away from the roiling tempest. It was all Twilight could do to hold on for dear life and keep flapping.
But she held.
She held fast to Rainbow's hoof, and she held fast to the way rain droplets sluiced off her wings as they drove through the storm. She felt the storm pounding through her bones and laughed at it. Her aching muscles filled with the warmth of Rainbow being right there when she needed her most. The feeling of warm cocoa trickled through her every fiber as she watched Rainbow's matted tail and mane flap in the tempest, and she tightened her grip.
The winds broke. They were safe on land. The storm howled above them.
They collapsed against each other, panting. With one look, they broke out into laughter, gulping air as they hung on one another. They laughed until they could no longer stand.
Twilight brushed Dash's mane out of her eyes and smiled at her.
"Thank you."
In the room Celestia had so graciously given them for the night, Twilight could hear their hearts beating. Dash's beat in her chest, against which Twilight's ear was pressed, while Twilight's beat somewhere in her throat. Rainbow lay on her back, only turning her head when Twilight tightened her grip.
"Hey. What's up?"
Twilight felt foolish. The silence, so easily broken, pressed down heavily against her.
"J-just..." She tried to swallow. Her words were parchment. "Five hours ago, we were fighting for our lives. And now..."
She gestured to the room.
"It's quiet," Dash said, and moved to stare back at the ceiling. "Isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Twilight closed her eyes and stroked Dash's chest. A breath caught short in her throat, and she began to sob quietly.
"Whoa, wait... What?" Dash turned in Twilight's grip and brushed her mane with a hoof.
"I'm sorry, Rainbow."
"Twilight..."
Twilight buried her face in the crook of Rainbow's leg and wept.
"If I hadn't back-traced your letter, if I hadn't come to help you, to see what you were doing, then I wouldn't have put us in danger--"
"Twilight..."
"I almost died!" Twilight hiccupped. "And you almost died saving me! After what Celestia said..."
"Twilight, no." Rainbow's hesitation broke and she lifted Twilight's chin so they could look into each other's eyes.
"I said I was glad you were there, and I meant it. Sure, it was supposed to be recon, not a fight, but we cut out the middlemare and kicked that monster's tail." Rainbow smiled at Twilight, and she felt the tears begin to recede.
"But..."
"The important thing--" Dash's gaze never wavered-- "is that we made it through together. We're here, now, and we're not dead or even really hurt. We're here, together, and we get to share this bed, which is just awesome."
Twilight's cheeks flushed and she found she couldn't meet Rainbow's gaze. "I wish our first time had come under slightly less dire circumstances."
"First--" Rainbow's whole body stiffened and she released Twilight's head. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I mean we don't have to--"
Somehow, despite all the puffiness creeping into her face and the harsh rime of salt around her eyes, Twilight found it in herself to smile. "I know." She leaned up and kissed Rainbow gently on the cheek. "We're not moving too fast, are we? Our relationship?"
Rainbow relaxed, a small smile gracing her features. She propped her head up on one hoof and with the other touched Twilight on the cheek. "Nah. You can't move faster than the Rainbow Dash."
Twilight laughed, the sharp sound ringing off the bed posts. She took Rainbow's hoof in hers and nuzzled against it. The act of laughing was just as cathartic as crying, but far more enjoyable.
Feeling flush and buoyant, and somewhat sleepy, Twilight wrapped her forehooves around Rainbow Dash, who pulled up the covers. She pressed herself against her partner, pushed her head up under Rainbow's chin, and sighed.
"I knew you were gonna say that."
Rainbow Dash laughed. And a few minutes later, her laugh died down, and all was still and silent once more.
I probably shouldn't be writing this, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. It'll still be a little while longer before I can see you again. It's nothing serious, I just can't tell you any details until it's done.
But, uh, I keep thinking about you so I wanted to let you know so you don't get worried and stuff. This relationship thing is getting to be kind of serious, right?
Anyway, don't worry about me. I'll let you know all the details once I come back, promise.
Your marefriend I guess I really am your marefriend, huh? Need to figure out a better way to end letters now.
Rainbow Dash
By the time the scroll had fluttered to the desktop, Twilight was across the room, pacing.
"Not good, this is not good."
"Twilight, calm down." Spike watched from a low stool. "Rainbow said she didn't want you to worry."
Twilight's ears splayed. "She knows I'd worry no matter what she says. That she's not saying anything and telling me not to worry means whatever she's doing, it's extremely dangerous."
Spike scratched under his chin. "Isn't it weird that she would be off doing something dangerous without you or the other girls?"
"Yes!" Twilight paused her pacing to rub her horn. "That's exactly what has me worried!" She turned to stare straight at Spike. "That letter, did you get it from Celestia?"
"Uh... Kinda?" Spike's face scrunched up. "I mean, it came in the usual way, but it kinda, uh, tasted funny, I guess?" He spread his hands and shrugged. "I can't really explain it."
He lurched back as Twilight's face loomed in front of his.
"Ahh, Twilight! Personal space!"
"I need you to remember how it felt." Twilight bored a hole through him with her gaze. "Spike, this is very important! Think back to when you got the letter. Think about how it tasted, how it felt. Think about how it was different from a normal letter from Celestia."
"Twilight, you're scaring me..."
She gritted her teeth and looked down. "I'm sorry Spike, but this is important. We just started everything, and she means so much to me. As a friend and as more than a friend..."
There were a few moments of silence before Spike swallowed. "I knew this was a bad idea." Louder, he said, "All right, Twilight. What do you need me to do?"
"Close your eyes." Twilight's voice was firm but gentle, though she didn't look at him. "Close your eyes and think about the letter. Concentrate on it, and don't resist my magic. Okay?"
As Twilight's horn flared, Spike closed his eyes. "Okay, Twilight. Thinking about it now..."
For a moment, she was lost, tumbling in the cold aether behind reality. Without warning, color and sound reasserted themselves, threatening to knock her off her hooves. For half a second, she screamed.
Somepony grabbed her, was holding her, and she stopped moving. From all around came the sound of water hitting earth. Before her was a blue face, so close she could feel Rainbow's warm breath across her muzzle.
"What--" Rainbow began, but Twilight closed the gap between them.
It was a far deeper, more corporeal kiss than Twilight had intended their first to be. It was lightning and fire. Rainbow's eyes went wide. Twilight closed hers so they wouldn't distract her from the sensation.
I'm kissing Rainbow Dash.
Me.
She knew better than to let it go for too long, but the parting was still hot regret.
Rainbow Dash regarded her with something akin to fear, setting her gently onto the marshy ground. "Celestia's gonna be so mad."
Twilight flinched, confusion stark on her face. "Hi to you, too." The warmth from Rainbow's lips and the thundering of her heart kept her voice bemused. "I got your letter and thought you might need some help."
Rainbow brought a hoof to her face. "Yeah, I... Sorry, Twilight. I'm glad to see you, of course, it's just... this mission was supposed to be secret and all. The Princess didn't want you to know..."
A nod, and Twilight stepped closer to her. "Well, I'm here now. Unless you'd rather I left..." She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.
"No, no." Rainbow's face turned to the swampy ground. "Like I said, she won't be happy, but if you're here, I'm not gonna make you go away."
As Rainbow looked up, it began to rain a thin, cloying mist, matting her mane to her head in seconds. Through her hair, Twilight smiled at Rainbow.
"And," Rainbow continued, "I'm glad you're here. Like, really glad. And not just because you're a heck of a kisser."
Despite having possessed wings for decades, she had never quite developed the pegasus instinct to deploy them when falling. Though, given the confines of the chute down which she hurtled, they would only have ended up battered. They might, however, have slowed her descent, which would have been helpful for avoiding the pressure plate in the hallway the chute spit her into.
Before she could orient herself, a section of wall twice as wide as she was tall sped toward her on a magically powered piston. Spikes extruded from the bee holes peppering its surface.
Twilight screamed again.
The scream was buffeted from her lungs as something rammed into her from behind. For a moment, she flew under something else's power. Then she hit the ground. At the same time, the whole room shook, wall meeting wall where she had been moments before.
She spun around, trying hard to catch her breath. Behind her, examining the end of a tail that looked flatter than usual, was Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow, you saved me."
Rainbow glanced at her, face wrinkling as she grinned. "Yeah, I did. Can't say the same for my tail, though. Guess I needed a manecut anyway."
Twilight's knees shook and she sank to the ground as a voice behind them called out, "Mom! Mom, are you okay?" Hooves clattered up the hallway from the opposite direction.
"I'm fine," Twilight said, coughing. "We just almost died. No big deal."
A mare with red and white striped mane and a rolled map cutie mark collided with her, hugging her tightly. "Thank Celestia you're okay. I found the entrance to the burial chamber and hadn't even noticed you two disappear!"
"Don't blame yourself, kid," Rainbow said, now inspecting her own mane. It wasn't as vibrant as it once had been, of course, but the array of colors was striking nevertheless. "Yeah, definitely time for a manecut."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "What, like your mom hasn't told you about the hundreds of adventures we went on when we were your age? This is nothin'."
Twilight hoisted herself to her hooves, patting her daughter's withers. "Well, we were a bit more spry back then, Rainbow."
"Speak for yourself!" Rainbow puffed out her chest. "I'm still in my prime. I could fly rings around you any day!"
It was Twilight's turn to roll her eyes. "Name me a time when you couldn't." She moved over and gave Rainbow a hug. "I'm glad you're always there when I need you."
Rainbow chuckled. "Isn't that what I always told you?"
Pepper snorted. "If you two old ponies are done reminiscing, we still have an ancient scepter to find."
"It's waited for nine hundred years, Pepper. It can wait a little bit longer, I think." Twilight leaned forward and kissed Rainbow smoothly. She made a surprised noise and threw an arm around Twilight's neck.
"Nothin' like a little danger to get the ol' blood pumpin', huh?" Dash said with a chuckle.
Twilight growled softly and pushed Rainbow onto the stones. "You are so hot right now."
Peppermint's jaw dropped, her tan coat turning red. She scooped her hat up and placed it over her face. "Mother, that is gross! Now is not the time!"
"Oh, go find the scepter, for crying out loud," Twilight said over her shoulder. "You'll learn how to savor moments like this when you're older."
"Think this'll make it into the book?" Rainbow snickered, waggling her eyebrows.
Twilight considered for a moment. "Mmm, I think our fans have always been convinced Daring Do has a thing for her assistant..." With a giggle, she pounced on Dash anew and kissed her hard.
The rustling of the white dress's train only made Twilight more nervous.
"Ohh, where could she be?"
She was doing her best to look anywhere other than the copious mirrors surrounding her. They only helped to accentuate the worry lines in her brow, the shaking of her hooves, and the beads of sweat threatening to mar her Rarity-perfected makeup.
At the knock, Twilight nearly flew off the dais. "Aaah!"
"Whoa, careful," Rainbow Dash said, poking her head in. "Sorry I scared you. Pre-wedding jitters?"
"Is it that obvious?" She smiled, but there was no effort behind it. She couldn't even muster up a half-hearted laugh at her own lame joke.
Rainbow entered the dressing room, streamers from her dress trailing on the floor behind her. Rarity had been quite busy over the last three weeks. "Don't worry about it," she said with an easy laugh, "they say everypony feels that right before their wedding. I hear your stallion's going through the same thing."
"He is?" Twilight laughed despite herself, but it was high-pitched and strangled. "That almost makes me feel better."
"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to worry about marrying a princess." Rainbow moved over to her, reached up, adjusted the veil, frowned, adjusted it again, adjusted it a third time, and with a snort, stepped back and shrugged. "Anyway, it's just a wedding. The palace was scanned like, twelve times for changelings. Nothing's gonna happen 'cept the best day of your life."
Though Rainbow's grin was enough to finally calm her nerves, Twilight couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of guilt creeping through her.
"Rainbow, I... I'm glad you came, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."
"Huh? Well, lay it on me, Twi." Rainbow removed her jaunty green archer hat and began fiddling with it, poking at the inside to get the creases just so.
"It's just..." Twilight bit her lip. "It's probably not the best thing to bring up minutes before I'm about to get married for the first time." She began to chew, smearing her lipstick. "It's a big day for me, and I guess it's only natural to feel hesitation. I feel like I'm ready, at least I think so. I gave it a lot of thought, the whole marriage thing." She let out a breath, her head going slack. "I've done nothing but think about it for months now. You know how I am."
Rainbow nodded, snickering.
"And I love him, and I know he loves me, but still..." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I know you never stopped having feelings for me."
Rainbow ceased her fiddling. She glanced at Twilight, nothing but her eyes moving. "Yeah, and?"
"I know it's been a while since we were... I mean, I just can't help wondering if maybe I'm making a mistake. If maybe it shouldn't be you beside me at the--"
"I'm gonna stop you right there." Rainbow flicked her hat back onto her head and turned to face Twilight. "D'you remember what I told you back then, at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Uhh..."
"Friendship, Twi." Dash rolled her eyes, as though it had been the most obvious thing in the world. "If I wasn't your friend, if I was still heartbroken over what happened between us, I wouldn't be here, trying to psych you up before you get married to a pony who isn't me." She snorted.
"I don't wanna hear how Twilight Sparkle's living in the past anymore." She walked around Twilight once, checking her dress over. "Now you get your flank out there and make that guy the happiest stallion in the world, or so help me, Twilight, I will never forgive you." She spread her wings and lowered her head, glaring daggers at Twilight.
Twilight laughed. "Okay." She leaned down, and Rainbow Dash accepted the hug. "Thank you, Rainbow."
"What're friends for?" Rainbow smiled, her eyes bright. "Also, Rarity's gonna kill you if we don't fix your makeup. C'mon."
It seemed the world could not quite bring itself to shed tears the morning Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor's mother was marched to her final resting place. A late cold snap sent farmers scurrying to tend their trees and had brought with it an impenetrable fog. Twilight's father had asked the Canterlot weather pegasi to leave it in place, but the silvery blanket only made her more keenly aware of how alone she was.
He wasn't there; he should have been. Their love had been announced for all Equestria to hear. Their vows had been witnessed by friends, family and Princesses alike. Yet here she was, in her most miserable moment, facing the end of a pony's life without her other half. It didn't matter that he hadn't spoken to her, or lain with her, or been near her for some time now. He should have been there.
At least her friends had made it. Some had had to take time off from work or their own families to show their support. He hadn't. It made her even lonelier.
She caught Shining Armor's eye. He was stoic, at the head of the coffin, for he had already cried the hardest of all of them, in the stairwells and offices and back rooms where she'd found him. He had put on the face best befitting both a Prince and former Captain of the Royal Guard during a melancholy family affair.
Cadence plodded alongside him, her candy curl mane hiding beneath a black veil. Her portion of the eulogy had focused on her years spent foalsitting the other Princess in the room. Alone, Cadence had confided her regret at not having taken more opportunities to visit her mother-in-law, at putting it off enough that now she had to face that there was nothing to be done for it. She turned her head, saw Twilight, and offered her the tiniest, most practiced of princess smiles.
Which left Twilight herself. Something had been growing within her, she was sure of it. She'd thought she had cried all her tears, just like her brother. But as her thoughts turned inward, the combination of the pressure in her abdomen and the fog walling her off from everything that wasn't her mother's death and the damnable loneliness broke her.
With a wail that stopped the procession and echoed off into the distance, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria collapsed in the middle of the road and began to cry.
An instant later, a rainbow mane lay across hers. Her father joined them as well, having walked nearest to her. He nodded to his only son and the procession continued to move.
Twilight clutched at Rainbow Dash, when she should have been clutching at the pony she had said all those vows to, had made all those promises to, so long ago, and cried and cried.
I can't help but think Rainbow Dash has been acting rather odd lately.
That's a funny thing to be thinking about in the middle of reading up on thaumodynamics, Twilight.
Well, yes, but it's kind of been bothering me more and more lately.
It's probably nothing. Just idle thoughts. You know how Dash is.
She's never like this though. Not usually.
Well, any idea as to what might cause a sudden change in behavior?
A change in life circumstances, no doubt. List of possibilities?
Maybe she got a letter from the Wonderbolts.
No, she definitely would have told everypony in a five-mile radius the moment it happened. How about a new Daring Do book?
No, silly, you'd have gotten that too. Any other bright ideas?
Maybe she found a special somepony.
Haha, yeah. Maybe she did. Enough speculating, back to thaumodynamics...
ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshRainbowDashisinlovewithsomeponyand that
pony
is
ME
all the awkward pauses and strange looks and excuses to hang out with me IT ALL MAKES SENSE what do I do? whatdoIdowhatdoIdo
calmdown okay. Let's think about this rationally. Rationally, there is no chance a pony like me would catch the eye of a pony like Rainbow Dash.
Is that really true? I mean, it's depressingly self-deprecating. Get a grip, Sparkle, you're smart and pretty and you're a Princess after all
yeah but Rainbow doesn't care about smarts, she always calls me an egghead
wouldn't that be because she was too shy to say anything positive?
Rainbow Dash shy? have you even met the filly
Getting off track okay. If it's not too vain, yes, you're pretty. Of course you'd catch her eye.
but there's no way an athlete and a librarian could ever
No, no, stop that, it's not true. Opposites attract, isn't that what they say?
that's just some garbage you read in Rarity's romance novels once those are hardly
don't go denigrating your other friends now too
what would they say how would they react if it's true?
Okay, focus again. The Princess thing likely doesn't have anything to do with this, right? Rainbow Dash is definitely not interested in power or station
but then why did she never make a move before tonight what's been holding her back
Rainbow's a friend, she's been concentrating on being a friend, that makes sense
who knows maybe she's too nervous you know she gets nervous about 'serious' things
why risk a failed romance and ruin a friendship
No no NO! Stop! Everypony, just calm down!
Twilight, you're the only pony in here.
Yes, okay. I'm in charge here, and I say it's time for science.
Fact one: Rainbow Dash has been acting strangely around me, and me alone. Hypothesis: She has a crush on me.
Fact two: Rainbow Dash and I spent the evening moongazing and cuddling. Conclusion: Rainbow Dash DEFINITELY has a crush on me.
Conjecture: What to do about it?
Well...
If, from an outside perspective, a pony like me wouldn't have a chance with a pony like Rainbow
stop it stop it I said stop with that
No no, but if that were the case, then it stands to reason a situation opposing common assumptions should be acted upon to see how far beyond those assumptions it goes. Right?
...Right. That sounds logical and reasonable. So, do you like her back?
Well, I dunno. But then, that's what dating is for, right?
It was all Twilight could do to keep flapping as the Storm Serpent's too-wide eyes stared into hers.
"No, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash collided with the side of the Serpent's head, only to rebound off of it. "There's nothing worth seeing in there!"
Twilight stared, transfixed, into the blazing, infinite eyes of Tlaloc, heedless of the wind, rain and hail pounding against her. Rainbow Dash became nothing but an occasional flash of blue against the Serpent's head, desperately and ineffectually pounding away as his voice resounded in her mind.
Your little quest is finished.
Images flashed through her head, each a slab of concrete pressing down against her.
A balance with her in one pan and the rest of her friends in the other.
They can't help you.
Pinkie Pie laughing at her. Rarity sneering. Fluttershy cowering. Applejack walking away, head hung low.
You will be mine.
Equestria burning beneath her hooves. The spires of Canterlot Castle cracked and ruined, falling to crush houses in the city below. Celestia chained in a cell, eyes full of tears, face frozen in shock and disbelief.
Look at what we could do together.
Her friends cursing her name to the heavens as they were locked in the darkest pit.
Only something was amiss. One, two, three... four? Only four.
Don't fight me, you cannot hope to--
She didn't have just four friends.
You're weak! Weak and pathetic! Listen to my voice, I will--
The scales tipped. Clouds poured down rain upon the fires. A rainbow streak caught the falling stones and flung them clear of the ponies fleeing beneath. The chains broke.
No, stop, she's not important!
She was the most important thing in Twilight's life. The merest thought of her was enough to brighten the darkest sky, because she was Twilight's friend, and Twilight loved her.
NO!
Twilight awoke to the echoes of demonic shrieks dying in her ears. Her own screams faded with them. She felt hooves around her and looked up into a multicolored mane more disheveled than it had ever been. The churning storm stilled.
"You did it," Rainbow said quietly. "I knew you were strong enough."
Twilight coughed, feeling more tired than triumphant. "I couldn't have done it without you, Rainbow Dash."
A slow smile crept onto Rainbow's face. "Hey. I'd never leave you hangin'."
The five ponies gathered around Twilight's bed, cooing a hushed "Aww!"
"She's so tiny!" Pinkie stage-whispered. "She's so tiny, Twilight, I can't stand it! Eeeeee!" She shoved her hoof in her own mouth.
"She's absolutely gorgeous, Twilight," Rarity said, brushing the sleeping newborn's red and white striped mane so gently with her magic that not a hair moved out of place.
"I can see why ya picked the name," Applejack said.
"She looks just like--" At a glance from Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy stopped. "I-I mean, she has your horn, Twilight. You must be so proud."
"Yes." Twilight leaned back and closed her eyes. "Mostly I'm just tired."
"And who could blame you, dear?" Rarity nodded. "I recall my mother being rather put out for nearly a week after Sweetie Belle was born."
"Same thing happened with my momma and Apple Bloom," Applejack said, chuckling softly. "My poor pa was beside himself and..."
She trailed off as the sound of soft weeping filled the room.
Fluttershy put a hoof on her friend. "Twilight, what's wrong?"
Twilight scrubbed her free hoof across her cheeks, the tags hanging from her hospital bracelet clinking softly. "I-it's nothing. Probably just... early-onset post-partum depression." Her smile was as plastic as the dangling tags. "I read about that, you know, to get prepared for--"
"Twilight." Rainbow Dash had spoken so quietly, yet some power in her voice caused them all to turn their attentions to her. "C'mon, you can tell us."
A lump sank down Twilight's throat. "I just couldn't help... When you started talking about your families, I realized..." She blinked, her eyes glistening. "She'll never have a father to love..." The words faded away into a sob.
Rainbow Dash's face darkened momentarily. Then, with that same calm power, she said, "Twilight, stop."
Twilight did, surprising herself, and looked at her.
"After what he did, he's not worth thinking about."
Around the bed, her other friends nodded.
"I agree."
"Mm-hmm!"
"Yeah, forget him."
"Just think about your little girl."
Rainbow snorted. "So one pony isn't gonna be there for your filly. Just think about who will be there!"
"A mom who's the smartest pony ever," Applejack said, smiling.
"And a princess!" Rarity added.
Pinkie Pie jumped up. "Ooh, and your brother and Princess Cadence!" Fluttershy nodded emphatically.
"And four of the coolest aunts she could ever ask for," Rainbow Dash said, smiling at last. "That's a whole heck of a lot, if you ask me."
"Say," Applejack said, leaning toward Rainbow, "ain'tcha forgettin' to count somepony in there, RD?"
Rainbow smirked. "Nah. I'm on a totally different level than you guys when it comes to coolness. No offense."
Applejack rolled her eyes. Pinkie giggled, and Twilight couldn't help but chuckle.
"And, uh..." Rainbow licked her lips and lowered her head towards Twilight. "I thought maybe we could talk a little later. When you're not 'put out' and stuff."
"Oh?" Twilight blinked, and her filly shifted slightly. Rarity and Fluttershy leaned forward over the bed, staring at Rainbow Dash, who blushed and scratched at the back of her neck.
"Yeah, well... I know you're gonna be an awesome mom and all." She swallowed. "But I know first-hoof how hard single parenting can be. A-and it'd be great if you had somepony to help you out, right?"
Twilight's eyebrows rose. As Rainbow stood there, blushing and stammering, a smile slowly formed on Twilight's lips. And as she looked at her friend, something old rekindled.
It said: Come to my churning heart, feel the beating of my winds against your flesh. Come, be wild and free as I am. Come, let nothing stand in your way.
And she had said: No.
For she was freer at her side.
The devil had called to her.
He said: Come, feel my power, taste the yawning energy serving my every whim. Come, bring this world to ruin with me. Come, let us rule over the ashes together.
And she had said: No.
For she knew who her true friend was.
Her life had called to her.
It said: Come, find your special somepony. Come, settle down, stop your struggles, relax. Come, start a family, this is the rest you've earned.
And she had said: No.
For while she might have forgotten once, she knew all she truly needed was a friend beside her.
"Twilight, how could you even think to say such a thing?"
At Rarity's words, Twilight stopped, mouth open and hoof raised. The last things she'd said echoed in her mind, and she realized, even before she saw the tears in Rainbow Dash's eyes, just what it was she'd done.
She fled the library.
It was her home, had nearly been their home. But what she had said could not be taken back. Home was no place she deserved right now. She flew all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, the one place in Ponyville she could think of furthest from her friends.
She ran through the gate, past Big Macintosh, who was bucking apples in the early afternoon sunlight, and into the western fields. The border of the Everfree Forest was in sight when her legs gave out and she collapsed to the soft loam, weeping.
The sky had begun to bronze when a familiar raspy voice behind her said, "Not very Princess-y behavior."
Twilight dragged a forelock across her eyes and looked up, blinking, at Rainbow Dash, framed by the sunset.
"Rainbow, I'm..."
Rainbow held out a hoof as she alighted on the ground, and Twilight trailed off.
"Twilight."
Twilight winced at the flatness of her name.
"I told you that in confidence." Despite the redness around her eyes, Rainbow was calm, and her voice did not waver in the slightest. "You had no right to bring that up around our friends."
"I--"
Rainbow shook her head. "I want you to understand what you did." She moved closer to Twilight, pointing behind herself. "That was not something you could have done to me if we hadn't been in a relationship this long. You abused my trust, and you took advantage of my feelings for you."
Twilight lowered her head, not even trying to hold back the tears. She covered her face with a wing and croaked, "So it's over, then?"
There was a pause before Rainbow answered. Twilight peeked at her through her feathers. She seemed pensive.
"Maybe." Emotion had crept back into Rainbow's voice and she was pawing at the ground. "Somepony once told me words can be forgiven, but not forgotten, so I dunno. I'll have to think about it. You probably should too."
Shame weighed in Twilight's stomach, anchoring her to the field. "I can't imagine you'd ever want to talk to me again."
Rainbow blinked. "What? No!" She gave Twilight a lopsided smile. "I was just talking about our relationship. Dating I mean. I'm not going anywhere."
Twilight's wing dropped and she stood. "What? But you just said--"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You've known me for how long? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" She looked Twilight square on, placid yet intense. "Words can be forgiven. Twilight, I don't care if we're dating or lovers or married, or nothing at all. Fact is, I was your friend first, and I'll always be your friend. This..." She waved her hooves. "This junk is worth ending a romance maybe, but not a friendship."
Twilight wiped at her eyes again, and she couldn't help but smile. "You mean it?"
"Course I do."
Rainbow's smile was a cool breeze across Twilight's brow. She wanted to leap up and hug her, but the reality of what had brought them to this place popped any building effervescence.
"You're right. I have a lot to think about," Twilight said, looking to Dash's hooves.
Rainbow Dash turned slightly and spread her wings. "Yeah. Me too, like I said. But just remember, Twilight..."
Looking up, Twilight caught the wind blowing Dash's mane back. It was wild and vibrant, just like the mare who bore it. If she could have, Twilight would have fallen in love with her all over again, right there.
"Friendship's the most important thing. And as long as we're friends, I'll be there for you."
